Served Cold
by Nat1
Summary: Landry blames the fact that it’s Wednesday for the reason it takes a while to sink in.


Landry blames the fact that it's Wednesday for the reason it takes a while to sink in.

Smash is half-heartedly wiping under the ice-cream machine while Matt is further back in the kitchen, finding a chocolate sauce refill. Landry is sitting on the counter in his normal fashion, talking a mile a minute about whatever enters his head.

That's how it slips out.

"Oh my God! Matt! That's the guy from Friday night! I can't believe I didn't realise it before, he was standing right in front of me!"

Smash turns to pay attention, ready to question if the guy was Landry's date on game night, when Matt half trips over himself to get to the counter to see who Landry is talking about.

"You- you sure?" Matt rocks on his feet, looking at the only guy seated in the restaurant.

Landry nods and hisses, "Yes, look at his face, its scabbed over a little bit, but you can see one clear circle! And look at his arm, all bandaged up where Tyra slammed the door on it."

"What- what do we do? Do- do we call the cops?" Matt's stuttered words become more pronounced as he rocks harder on his feet and leans into Landry.

Both of them seem to have forgotten Smash and turn suddenly when he says, "Ya'll want to fill me in, 'cause you two seem in over your head here. What all does this have to do with Tyra?"

Matt and Landry make eye contact and before Matt can say boo, Landry is tripping over his tongue to get the story out.

"Friday night, I was supposed to meet Tyra for a date-slash-tutoring session, only my car wouldn't start so I was late and she told me she got sick of waiting for me, so she went to leave and some guy, _that guy_, jumped her in the parking lot and tried to rape her. She got away, she used the cigarette lighter to get him off her and slammed her truck door on his arm. When I got there she was crying in the parking lot and he was gone but-"

"Whoa! Landry, did you call the cops? Take her to the hospital? Why doesn't everyone in school know about this yet?" Smash is speaking as he grabs the phone off the wall. He's half way through dialling 911 when Landry snatches it away from him, pressing the end button.

"Are you kidding? We're talking about Tyra, all she wanted to do was calm down and go home to forget about it! I wasn't supposed to say anything to anyone! But Julie kind of said something about how Tyra was acting weird and the whole story came out, so Matt and Julie know, but not even _Tyra_ knows they know." Landry jumps off the bench and returns the phone to its cradle. "You call the cops and you'll bring the wrath of Tyra down on _both_ of us! And I don't want that, do you want that?" Landry pauses to take a breath and Smash shoulders him out of the way.

"Fine, no cops." Smash grabs the phone again and quickly dials another number.

"Wait! Who are you calling? Smash!" Landry tries to snatch the phone back while Smash holds him off and Matt stands stunned, eyes flicking from Smash to Landry to the man sitting at the table.

"No cops, Landry, I promise." Smash walks through to the kitchen and Landry suddenly realises he's causing a scene. The guy with the bandaged arm is now watching them, he and Matt turn abruptly focusing on _anything_ other than the older man.

They hear Smash's voice and both of them spin to stare at him in shock when the phone is answered.

"Yeah, Rig? It's Smash. Look, you better get down to the 'Freeze, and you better get here fast." Smash nods and glances over at the clock on the wall, "Naw man, no time, you need to get here _now_, it's about Tyra."

Smash looks at the phone as it clicks in his ear.

"Are you _out of your mind_?" Landry whisper-shouts, rubbing his chest with a pained look on his face, "Calling _Tim Riggins_? He'll _kill_ that guy!"

"Look, Tyra don't want no cops involved and that's her choice even if it's wrong. But there ain't _no way_ that guy ain't gonna pay for what he did. You get me?" Smash stares hard at both Matt and Landry until they nod at him. "Right, now go along with me okay, I dunno how long Rig is gonna be, but this guy is almost done with his burger… We need to keep him here."

Matt nods slowly while Landry does nothing but stand there and close his eyes.

"Alright QB1! We're going all the way to state, baby!" Smash raises his voice and pumps his arms, thumping Matt on the shoulders in his enthusiasm. "Clear Eyes, Full Heart!"

"Cant Loose!" The guy at the table puts his hand in the air, championship ring glinting in the harsh lights of the fast food joint.

"You're a Panther man?" Smash nods and thumps Matt again. "You know what? You deserve desert! QB1, make the man a super-sized banana split!"

"Hey, thanks man, but its alright. I've only got enough cash for the burger." The guy shrugs and gives a small grimace.

"What? You think you're paying? Oh hell no! This is on The Smash, baby! We're going to State!" Smash pounds his chest, beaming a wide smile.

Matt grins despite himself, slowly getting the fixings for the split together.

"Landry?" Smash turns him by the arm, "Hey man, you don't look so hot… Us going to State too much to handle?"

"Something like that." Landry ducks his head and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Hey! If you gonna throw up that sunday, you better take your ass outside! I ain't your mama to be cleaning your sick up after you." Smash gives Landry a light shove, propelling him towards the door, right in the direction Landry does not want to be going. Towards an oncoming Tim Riggins who would be arriving soon and wanting answers.

Landry doesn't want to be the one to tell him anything. One day Landry was really going to learn how to keep his mouth shut.

He stands outside maybe ten minutes, listening to Smash's lyrical voice sound through the glass about Panther glory as Matt shuts down the kitchen. Tim's truck skids to a halt in front of him.

"Landry, what the fuck does Smash want? Is Tyra here? Is she okay?"

"She's not here, and really, you should talk to Smash. Or her! Yeah, you should go see her."

Tim steps in close to Landry, close enough that Landry can feel his breath on his cheek. "You tell me what happened to her, tell me why she's been acting so weird the past few days. Why'd she wear that big ugly cardigan that looks like something Saracen's grandmother would wear? 'Cause it ain't Tyra."

Inside, Smash is sitting with the older man, waving at Matt as Matt switches off lights, dimming the restaurant and outside parking area to minimum light and grabbing his backpack, pulling his white hat off. Smash waves Matt off again, emphatically gesticulating for him to leave when he sees Landry and Riggins standing outside.

Tim grabs Landry's arms as Matt swings the door open and steps outside, "Landry! _What happened to her_?"

"The- the guy? Inside? He- he tried to, on Friday night, he tried to rape her. Rape Tyra." Tim lets go of Landry's arm as Matt speaks in a rush, stepping back and nodding to himself, thinking.

"Makes sense. That it?" Tim looks up, eyes flicking between Matt and Landry, "He tried? Didn't succeed?"

Landry nods then shrugs, "She only said he tried… she fought him off and got away, still had all her clothes on when I found her not long after. Does it make a difference?"

"It makes a difference. She did that to him? Good for her." Tim continues when Landry nods his head yes. He looks inside and nods once to Smash. His mind made up about _something_. "You two should probably leave now."

"Tim-" Matt starts.

"My man, Rig!" Smash leads the older man out of the restaurant, loudly shutting the door behind him and clapping the guy on the shoulder, "This guy played on the team a few years back, missed the semi-final game Friday though. So, you want to go get a burger at Fran's?"

"Not really. Not really hungry." Tim responds, staring at the guy beside Smash.

"You, not hungry! Man, this must be a first. What's got you all tied up in knots?" Smash steps up beside Landry, his smile falling off his face as he joins the line of three that's standing in front of the older man.

"Yeah. Found out someone tried to rape Tyra on Friday." Tim looks directly at the guy and watchs as the realisation hit him that he's been found out.

Smash swings his fist, catching a glancing hit that spins the man to his knees where Tim kicks out and lands a blow to his stomach. The guy doubles over, retching.

"Fucker. You think you can mess with my girl and get away with it?" Tim leans over, driving a hard right fist into the guys jaw.

"You think you can fuck with our friend?" Smash's punch flings the guy from his knees onto his back.

Matt is busy looking anywhere but on the ground, he watches as a car slows down and put its indicator on to turn into the parking lot, he's ready to yell a warning and pull Landry away, one hand already fisted in his shirt, when the car straightens up, speeding off down the road. Matt takes a deep breath, the lights of the Alamo Freeze are all turned off, anyone passing will know its closed.

"You such a loser that you can't get yourself a girlfriend, you have to go out and rape innocent girls to get off?" Tim goes down, putting one knee on the guys bandaged arm, his punch to the guys nose splattering blood and bouncing his head off the tarmac.

Smash pulls Tim to his feet again, kicking the guy on the ground with the top arch of his foot, turning him onto his side.

Landry's eyes are flickering around, constantly looking away from the now bloody face on the ground and back again.

Tim kicks the guy with the toe of his boot and they all pause as they hear his ribs break. Matt finally grabs Tim, softly stating that it's enough as Smash wipes the back of his hand on the ass of his pants.

The guy on the ground coughs out what sounds like a laugh and before Tim or Smash can move, Landry pulls his foot back and kicks the guy in the balls. "I'm going to tell her about this and she's going to laugh. You cockless wonder."

"Should- should we maybe call the cops or something?" Matt asks.

"No one says a word." Smash sniffs then gestures to Matt and they grab the guy's arms, half lifting, half dragging the guy out back to leave him near the dumpsters.

Landry stands with Tim and listens to his harsh breathing. "You said it made a difference."

"Yeah." Tim tries to wipe blood off his knuckles.

"What difference did it make?"

Tim climbs into his truck and slams the door behind him, speaking out the open window. "If he'd succeeded, I'd have killed him."


End file.
